Homes England is to place design quality and sustainablity at the heart of what it does, its chairman has pledged.

The principles will underpin both the housing it is responsibe for and the wider communities, said Peter Freeman, who founded Kings Cross developer Argent and joined the quango last year.

In a bid to demonstrate its seriousness, he announced the body has brought in the Design Council and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to help it draw up strict new rules for the developments it funds or procures.

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